Hartford's Season Comes to End in Pittsburgh
The Latics fall on penalties to close the books on 2025
Hartford Athletic’s 2025 season came to a conclusion on Saturday night in Pittsburgh, as they were beaten on penalties by the Riverhounds. With the 0-0 (4-2) result, the Latics come away empty-handed from their playoff return.
The game was a somewhat cagey affair, lacking in real attacking intent from either side, and in truth Hartford rarely looked like they were going to win, as Pittsburgh largely controlled the game, limiting the Latics to just six shots across 120 minutes of play.
There were two real moments of interest for the Hartford attack in the first half. First, the Latics thought they had an early goal when Samuel Careaga bundled home a rebound from a tight angle, but Sebastian Anderson was flagged for offside in the buildup.
Second, there was a shout for a red card when Luke Biasi bundled over Michee Ngalina in the 8th minute, but the referee judged there was a covering defender, and awarded only a yellow and a free kick. It was in a dangerous area, but the opportunity ultimately came to nothing.
From there, though, the first half was really a story of Pittsburgh building possession and pressure. As the half-hour mark approached, Hartford was struggling to get out of its own half with the ball, although the Latics were mostly managing to keep the Hounds from turning their possession into truly meaningful opportunities
The hosts’ best chance of the half — maybe of the entire game — came in the 29th minute. From a set-piece, Beto Ydrach got ahead of his man to get his head on the ball and power it toward the bottom corner, but Antony Siaha did well to get down to his left and tip the ball away from danger with another Pittsburgh player lurking.
By halftime, Pittsburgh were well in control of the game, holding about two-thirds of possession, with something like 60% of it in the Hartford half. With the Latics struggling to create the transitional opportunities that have defined the best parts of their season, it seemed that they needed something to change in the second half.
Brendan Burke did go to his bench at halftime, bringing on Junior Moreira to replace Beverly Makangila, but it did not really change his side’s fortunes, with Pittsburgh continuing to control the ball. That state of affairs persisted for much of the second half, and when the whistle blew for to signal thirty additional minutes, it felt like the Latics were already playing for penalties.
Extra time continued in the same vein. Pittsburgh held possession, while Hartford tried to break something open in transition, to little success. The Latics did not attempt a single shot in extra time. Although they had some glimmers of opportunity in transition, they were unable to turn them into an attempt on goal.
Penalties got off to a bad start for Hartford, as Hadji Barry had his effort saved. Pittsburgh was cool from the spot, converting every single one of its first three chances, and when Samuel Careaga missed, Sean Suber tucked away the final effort to give the Hounds a 4-2 victory in the shootout and leave the Latics searching for a first playoff win in club history.
Hartford’s triumph in the USL Jägermeister Cup, as well as a first playoff berth since 2020, means that the season unquestionably goes down as a success. Penalty shootout losses always sting a little more, and there will definitely be disappointment that the Latics weren’t able to make a playoff run, but it’s been by a wide margin the best season in club history, and provides a launching point to build something truly special in Hartford if the club wants to do what it takes.